Invest With Us: Downtown

Jessica Fisher, Public Information Assistant, 509.625.6749

Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 4:09 p.m.

The City of Spokane is working hard to team up with employers, tenants, and residents in the downtown in order to increase business opportunities, increase quality of life, and provide for economic growth in the City’s heart. Shaping Spokane the City’s Comprehensive Plan makes clear the relationship of the downtown as it relates to the City’s growth and prosperity and City staff work hard every day to partner with local stakeholders and agencies to grow the downtown.

The City is nearing completion of the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project on the north bank of the river and work continues on a similar project adjacent to the Library. Overlooking the iconic Spokane Falls, this CSO tank will feature a terraced park with new landscaping and art installations, highlighting the falls and the role of the river in Spokane’s history and prosperity.

The $64 million bond improvements to Riverfront Park continue, with the new Ice Ribbon set to open December 8. Similarly, the City is working with property owners and other stakeholders to address building height requirements along Spokane Falls Boulevard, with the intent of fostering development in the two large surface lots adjacent to the park.

Of note for the near future is the upcoming Downtown Plan Update, scheduled to begin in 2018. The City will be working with local businesses, stakeholders, and residents to craft a smart update to the Downtown Plan that makes it more usable for everyone, not just businesses and developers – guiding the downtown for the next ten years as we continue to grow opportunities in the regional center and primary hub for the entire inland northwest. Details on this update are forthcoming, but if you have questions you can contact the project manager, Kevin Freibott, at kfreibott@spokanecity.org or by phone at 509.625.6184. He will be happy to speak with you about the project and its potential impacts to the downtown.

The downtown as a whole is seeing an upswing in growth and development activity and the City is working hard to help foster continued prosperity into the future. To this end, our Principal Planner, Andrew Worlock, is directly focused on the downtown target investment area, including the growing University District. He can be reached at aworlock@spokanecity.org, or 509.625.6991.